from Clinical/Therapeutic Issues

Researcher Says Bisexuality More
Common Among Women Than Men

February 21, 2006 - Dr. Richard Lippa, a psychologist who studies gender differences at California State University (Fullerton) has just published a study of the sexual attractions of men and women. The study is published in the current issue of Psychological Science.

Dr. Lippa says that his survey of more than 3,500 men and women showed that 0.3% of men were attracted to their own sex; 8% of the women surveyed were attracted to other women. In an interview with the London Independent, Lippa said, "Sexuality is more complex than we want to believe. It is more common for women to change their sexuality. My personal sense is that there are very few bisexual men, but there are significantly more bisexual women out there."

Lippa believes that women who have a high sex drive are more likely to be attracted to both men and women. In fact, he says that women are 27 times more likely than men to become attracted to their own sex.

The Independent reported that a BBC sex survey conducted in 2005 indicated that there are twice as many bisexual women (6%) as there are lesbian women (3%) in the UK. In addition, the numbers of women engaging in lesbian sex more than doubled between 1990 and 2000.

Additional Reading: British Psychologist Argues For Multiple Sex Partners; UNDERSTANDING THE LESBIAN CLIENT; Northwestern University Graduate Student Publishes Study Alleging Bisexuality Not A Sexual Orientation; Psychologist Says Bisexuality Opens Up Creative New Possibilities for Sexual Expression